Better NOT Be Slytherin
by Silver Point Despair
Summary: Severus was never sorted.


Title: Better NOT be Slytherin

Author: SilverPointDespair

Disclaimer: Harry Potter characters are the property of J.K. Rowling and Bloomsbury/Scholastic. No profit is being made, and no copyright infringement is intended.

Pairings: None.

Rating: T

Warnings: Major Character Death. Some gore.

Summary: Severus was never sorted.

A/N: An alternate outcome to the Marauders' sorting. Inspired by Rumour of an Alchemist's "Alternate Scene by the Lake" stories.

After that horrible train ride and the scuffle against those Pureblood boys on the boats, Severus and Lily were glad to finally arrive at the incredible Hogwarts castle. They had been travelling for what seemed like eons, neither of them the adventuring type. Needless to say, they were very glad to be back on dry land.

Black was sorted, Evans was sorted, Lupin was sorted, and Potter was sorted. There were only a few more first year students left. Professor McGonagall called out, "Severus Snape."

No one came forward.

The Deputy Headmistress looked over the handful of young people remaining in the queue before her. The boy had to be there somewhere. She frowned at them and repeated herself, "Severus Snape, step forward and be sorted into your House."

Yet again, no one came forward. The students began to grow restless and uncomfortable, looking at each other in askance. Despite their desires to begin the festivities, no one dared to speak. No one admitted that they were Snape.

McGonagall looked to the Headmaster in exasperation. "Headmaster?" She quietly asked, knowing that he would know what to do.

Dumbledore rose and slowly walked from the Head Table to the short cluster of unsorted students. Bending down ever so slightly, he looked each one of them in the eye, using legilimency to check their memories for a boy named Severus Snape.

If just one person knew the name and face of their unwilling boy, Dumbledore was sure he would be able to track him down. It was only when he got to the final person in the cluster that he realized the boy was not known to be in the room.

Finished with his unsuccessful scan, he looked back at his Deputy Headmistress and sighed, "The feast will be delayed until we can find Mister Snape and sort him. Students, remain seated. Faculty, please check the path to the boat house."

Looking at Hagrid, Dumbledore peered over top of his glasses, "I assume you loaded Mister Snape into one of the boats, Hagrid."

The half-giant nodded worried, "Yes, sir, Professor Dumbledore, sir. He was in the boat with Miss Lily Evans, Miss Mary MacDonald, and Mister Dexter Wordsmyth, sir."

As the rest of the professors lit their wands and proceeded outside to search for the lost boy, Dumbledore looked over at Lily Evans and touched her mind. Hagrid had indicated she'd accompanied Mr. Snape in the boats, so she should at least be able to show him what the boy looked like.

Professor McGonagall had only good things to say about her meeting with the Evans family, when she had gone to let them know their daughter was a witch and would need schooling for her gift.

Dumbledore read Miss Evans' gleeful hope that Mr. Snape had been killed when Mr. Black had knocked him down and stomped on his head, before kicking him off of the steps altogether.

With an unreadable expression, the headmaster scanned the boy sitting across the table from her. James Potter's mind was an open book. The headmaster read the argument on the train about what House was best to be sorted into, and how James was happy that Sirius had probably killed a Death Eater before he was even sorted.

Outside, the DADA Professor, Alex Morningstar, shouted that he had found the boy – bloody mess that he was – and took action. Moments later, his broken body was levitated into the Great Hall.

The students gaped at the sight before them. Several of the more sensative amongst them covered their eyes as others averted their gaze. The boy's skull was crushed on one side, and most of his blood had drained out of his body in the time it had taken to sort pupils A through R. His black robes were wet and dripped blood onto the stone flooring. His ashen pallor was going a faint shade of grey-blue.

Dumbledore clapped his hands and called, "Fawkes!"

The phoenix flamed into existence, and flew over to the boy, rubbing against his fractured skull in sorrow. His sad trill was all that was needed before he flashed away, only to return with two morose-looking men in red uniforms. They locked eyes with Dumbledore, and the trio exchanged looks of anger and regret.

Dumbledore's voice was furious, "Sirius Black, you are hereby expelled from Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. These Aurors will take charge of you, now."

McGonagall put a hand over her mouth in horror. She could hardly believe that one of her lion cubs could do such a thing.

The Aurors seemed to know exactly which child had just been expelled, and wasted no time in dragging him away from the Gryffindor table. They searched him quickly and effortlessly, taking his wand before putting magic-dampening handcuffs on him.

The staff seemed stunned to stasis, except for Madam Pomphrey. Despite the shock, she quickly regained enough wit to spell the Snape boy into a medical coma, and conjure a stretcher for his levitated body.

Dumbledore indicated a nearby room for the Aurors use for their investigation, as it had a floo. The Aurors dragged the boy with them as they left the Great Hall. Sirius Black was far too shocked to try to charm his way out of their grasp. He had never expected to be caught. He had never expected anyone to notice that the wannabe Slytherin boy was missing. He had been too careless.

Once magical law enforcement was no longer present, the Headmaster glared at James Potter and Lily Evans, "Neither of you will enjoy popularity nor privilege at this school. You may want to reconsider and submit a revised application to one of the other schools on the continent."

The occupants of Gryffindor table looked at each other uneasily. Their puzzled looks said it all: no one knew who the famed Headmaster was speaking to.

The Headmaster enlightened them, "Yes, I mean you, Mister Potter, Miss Evans. As best friends of both parties involved in the -" his voice waivered, "- _murder_ , neither of you spoke up."

All at once, every set of eyes in the room was locked onto the pair. Some eyes held confusion, but most held disgust. Lily Evans and James Potter opened their mouths to speak, but could find no words to explain themselves.

Dumbledore waved a hand at them, stopping their protestations of innocence before they could begin. "Don't worry, the Aurors are trained professionals. If either of you are culpable, they will determine the degree."

As the rest of the students digested that bit of news, the Ministry med-wizard finally arrived to take charge of the body. Madam Pomphrey nodded to Dumbledore and they both released it to the proper authority.

Once poor Snape was removed from the room, Dumbledore turned to the final handful of students and said, "Let's get the rest of you sorted."

When each of the final S through Z students went under the sorting hat, they all prayed, "Please not Gryffindor. Not the house with those _murderers_. _Any_ house but Gryffindor…"

Not another student was sorted into Godric's house that night.

FIN


End file.
